Borderline Personality Disorder: Symptoms, Screening, and Treatment
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common personality disorder, and nearly 75% of people diagnosed with BPD are women. Current research suggests that men may be equally affected by BPD but tend to be misdiagnosed with other mental illnesses, such as PTSD or depression. This personality disorder is evidenced by a constant pattern of mood swings and behavioral changes. These symptoms often result in hasty actions and difficulty in maintaining health relationships. People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense episodes of rage, melancholia, and anxiety that can last from a few hours to days. Nurses should teach the symptoms of BPD, encourage …show more content…
Some criteria for the diagnosis of BPD noted by the DSM-V are: “frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation, impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating), and inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)” (Videbeck, 2016). Nurses should encourage clients and family members to be alert to any of these symptoms. Many BPD sufferers also tend to suffer from feelings of anxiety, dysphonia, and emotional lability. They may have feelings of deadness, panic, and fury as well as self-mutilation and suicide-prone behaviors. The cause of borderline personality disorder is not yet clear, but research suggests that genetics (a close family member, such as a parent or sibling), brain structure and function, and environmental, cultural, and social factors (such as traumatic life events, i.e., abuse, abandonment, or adversity during childhood) play a role, or may increase the risk for developing borderline personality disorder. If a person has any of these risk factors, he or she should be especially watched for signs of …show more content…
Co-existing disorders can make it harder to diagnose and treat borderline personality disorder, especially if symptoms of other illnesses overlap with the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder can be treated sooner when assessments, screenings, and education are done earlier. Screenings for BPD are newer and on the rise. The McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) is a new self-report screening measure that shows promise in screening. “The MSI-BPD was found to have good sensitivity and specificity in a sample of nonpsychotic and nonmanic subjects…The MSI-BPD is based on a subset of the questions that comprise the borderline module of the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders or DIPD-IV, one of the reliable semistructured interviews for diagnosing Axis II disorders” (Zanarini, 2013). Identifying BPD early and giving appropriate treatment is important in the prognosis for the person with this
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common personality disorder, and nearly 75% of people diagnosed with BPD are women. Current research suggests that men may be equally affected by BPD but tend to be misdiagnosed with other mental illnesses, such as PTSD or depression. This personality disorder is evidenced by a constant pattern of mood swings and behavioral changes. These symptoms often result in hasty actions and difficulty in maintaining health relationships. People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense episodes of rage, melancholia, and anxiety that can last from a few hours to days. Nurses should teach the symptoms of BPD, encourage …show more content…
Some criteria for the diagnosis of BPD noted by the DSM-V are: “frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation, impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating), and inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)” (Videbeck, 2016). Nurses should encourage clients and family members to be alert to any of these symptoms. Many BPD sufferers also tend to suffer from feelings of anxiety, dysphonia, and emotional lability. They may have feelings of deadness, panic, and fury as well as self-mutilation and suicide-prone behaviors. The cause of borderline personality disorder is not yet clear, but research suggests that genetics (a close family member, such as a parent or sibling), brain structure and function, and environmental, cultural, and social factors (such as traumatic life events, i.e., abuse, abandonment, or adversity during childhood) play a role, or may increase the risk for developing borderline personality disorder. If a person has any of these risk factors, he or she should be especially watched for signs of …show more content…
Co-existing disorders can make it harder to diagnose and treat borderline personality disorder, especially if symptoms of other illnesses overlap with the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder can be treated sooner when assessments, screenings, and education are done earlier. Screenings for BPD are newer and on the rise. The McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) is a new self-report screening measure that shows promise in screening. “The MSI-BPD was found to have good sensitivity and specificity in a sample of nonpsychotic and nonmanic subjects…The MSI-BPD is based on a subset of the questions that comprise the borderline module of the Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders or DIPD-IV, one of the reliable semistructured interviews for diagnosing Axis II disorders” (Zanarini, 2013). Identifying BPD early and giving appropriate treatment is important in the prognosis for the person with this